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Baptism & Membership

The 6 Requirements for Membership at Southland: 

1. Salvation – prospective members must profess Jesus Christ to be Lord of their life.
2. Baptism – prospective members must have been baptized.
     The next Baptism class: Apr 28/30 (for Baptism Wknd on May 26-27) Click here to sign up!
3. Southland 101 – prospective members must have completed the Southland 101 Class.
     The next Southland 101 class: Mar 24, 31, Apr 7 & 14 - 9am-11am Click here to sign up!
4. Attendance at Southland for 1 year – prospective members must attend Southland for one year before they can be eligible for membership.
5. Attend an Encounter Retreat – prospective members must have attended an Encounter Retreat before they can be eligible for membership.
6. Covenant – prospective members must sign the Southland Membership Covenant and be in agreement with our Statement of Beliefs and Practices.
      *If you would like to sign-up for membership, please click here and fill out the short form.

Why these 6 requirements?

1-2. Salvation & baptism. There are many vitally important reasons why these two are requirements for membership, here are just 2:
         (1) The church is not a social club; we are seeking after the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3), not just a large gathering of people.
         (2) The Church is the body of Christ (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:27) – only those who have received Him, can be a part of Him. 
3. Southland 101 – this is an introductory course into who we are, where we’ve come from, what we believe and where we’re going.
        Trying to become a member without taking the 101 would be like marrying a person without knowing anything about them – very risky!
4. Attendance at Southland for 1 yr – No one should ever enter into any kind of commitment or covenant rashly (Eccl 5:4-5). When it
        comes to commitments and covenants, it is better not to commit to anything than to commit to something and not be able to fulfill
        the commitment. We consider membership to be a serious commitment, and as such, we don't want anyone to enter into our
        covenant rashly. Our stipulation of one year of attendance before becoming eligible for membership is a protective policy designed
        to ensure that prospective members take their time and get to know us before committing to our church family.
5. Attend an Encounter Retreat – Our Encounter Retreats form part of the very core of our mission and practice as a church. We put a
        really high priority in our church on the practices of listening to God, inner healing, deliverance, confession of sins and repentance.
        The Encounter Retreat is one of the most important places where we teach on these subjects and put them into practice. People
        who haven't been on an Encounter Retreat can't fully understand who we are as a church. Thus, we have made attendance at an
        Encounter Retreat mandatory for anyone who wishes to become a member at our church.
6. Covenant – Membership is about a lot more than getting your name on a list. Who cares about that?!? Membership is a commitment;
        it is a covenant of mutual service and submission. The only thing that separates members and attenders is commitment.
 
baptismsMembership is NOT a legal contract; rather it is a spiritual covenant!
a) To be regarded as a member in good standing, active participation is demanded in at least three areas:
     (1) Worship;
     (2) Receiving ministry;
     (3) Ministering to others.
b) People sometimes react to a covenant in a very negative way: “I don’t know that I would want to promise all that; what if….” Covenants are actually a very positive thing. For example, at a wedding, the most moving part of the ceremony is the vows. THAT’S  how people ought to look at a church covenant; If their hearts are full of love for the church in the same way that Jesus’ heart is full of love for the church, they will not approach it reluctantly or hesitantly, but with great feelings of self-denial and love.
    Will you keep the covenant perfectly? NO, you won’t. Neither does any bride or bridegroom. But the intent is there and when you fail, you work to make it right. 
    Because of what we believe membership is, we do NOT have an active and inactive membership list. Anyone not attending the church for one year, is sent a letter encouraging them to attend a church in their region. Then their names are removed administratively from the membership list. This is stipulated in the church constitution. In addition, Southland does not transfer memberships from other congregations.  If you desire membership, you would need to complete the six requirements listed above.